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2004-03-07 Israel-Palestine
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Paleos notice the elephant in the room
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EFL
"My husband is the victim of anarchy," murmured Um Fadi, the widow of Khalil Zaban, a prominent Palestinian journalist and human rights activist who was murdered in Gaza City on Tuesday. "He never did anything bad to anyone. I never imagined that the situation would deteriorate to such a low level."
| Shoulda stood where we're standing. We could see it coming from miles away... |
Zaban, who also pointlessly served as a special adviser to Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat on human rights affairs, is the latest victim of lawlessness and anarchy sweeping the West Bank and Gaza Strip in recent months. Some Palestinians believe the state of chaos, together with a severe financial crisis, could lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority and degenerate into civil war. ... "There is total chaos in the West Bank and Gaza Strip," a former Palestinian cabinet minister said in response to the killing of Zaban. "Unfortunately, I think this assassination is just the beginning. The Palestinian Authority is very weak and is losing control over the situation. This is what happens when you have too many security agencies and militias."
| This is what you have when you put gangsters in charge... |
The assassination of Zaban in Gaza City came only three days after Ghassan Shakah, the charismatic mayor of Nablus, announced his decision to resign in protest against the growing state of anarchy. Shakah made his public announcement while the Fatah revolutionary council -- a key decision-making body -- was meeting in Ramallah to discuss the situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip following complaints that armed gangs had replaced the Palestinian security forces.
How did anybody notice a difference?
The resignation, according to senior Palestinian officials, has seriously embarrassed Arafat, who is under intense pressure to take a bath wipe with toilet paper order his security forces to rein in the thugs and enforce law and order. ... Nabil Amer, a former minister of information, was also targeted by Arafat for demanding reforms and an end to corruption in Palestinian ministries and institutions. "Why are you all against me?" a visibly shaken Arafat asked the 126 members of the revolutionary council. "Are you part of the American and Israeli plot against me and our people?"
Donât be so modest, Yasshole; youâre doing a bang-up job of screwing your people without outside help.
"We are demanding early elections and major reforms in Fatah," said Hatem Abdel Kader, a Fatah legislator from Jerusalem who represents the grassroots generation in the movement. "The current situation is unhealthy and harmful."
Youâll have better luck demanding that rocks fall upward henceforth.
In an attempt to defuse the tensions, Arafat promised to hold elections for Fatah "within a year." Then his head exploded. But many Fatah officials and activists reacted with skepticism. ... "Most of these senior Fatah officials who came from Tunis are on Arafatâs payroll and each one receives from him about $20,000 a month," [a disgruntled Paleo] added. "They must pave the way for fresh faces." The senior Fatah officials promised to get right on it and appoint a committee to study the issue. ... Some Fatah officials have joined the campaign calling for reining in the unruly gunmen. Jibril Rajoub, soon to be found in several alleys at once, a senior Fatah official and national security adviser to Arafat, talked openly at the meeting of the need to dismantle all the militias, including the Aqsa Brigades. But Arafat and the council refused to discuss the issue. The Aqsa Brigades, for their part, sent a clear warning to Arafat and the Fatah leaders that they would never surrender their weapons.
| "You'll never take us alive, coppers!... Oh. Wait. We're the coppers." |
Arafat promised a special commission of inquiry and tough action, but the perpetrators continue to patrol the streets of Nablus, sometimes smiling at Shakah and flashing V-for-victory signs when he passes by in his car, flanked by armed bodyguards.
No doubt everyone was surprised.
A prominent businessman in Nablus, whose family has been frequently targeted by the armed groups, described the situation in the city as catastrophic. "What we have here is a Mafia," he remarked, insisting on anonymity.
Aw, be brave and go ask Yasshole for help ... Iâm sure heâll be sympathetic.
"We have tens of competing armed groups that have replaced the PA. Each group has a leader who is directly linked to another more senior official. Every day I hear about armed robberies, rapes, kidnappings and extortion. The security forces say they are afraid of them and there is no judicial system."
Inshallah.
In a shocking development, Palestinian spokesmen often blame Israel for the chaos, citing its ban on uniformed police in most West Bank cities and the destruction during IDF incursions of security infrastructure such as police stations. However, many Palestinians are no longer prepared to accept this view. "The time has come to say enough," said Hafez Barghouti, editor of the Palestinian daily al-Hayat al-Jadeeda. "The homeland is not the property of one person, and the PA is not a private monopoly. We must support efforts to enforce law and order. The occupation is not always the reason for the disasters. It is the [internal] deterioration that is to blame."
Better update your last will & testament, Hafez.
Some Palestinians fear that the chaos in the Palestinian territories is an indication of what is awaiting them after Arafat is gone. As one Palestinian legislator put it this week, "We are on the verge of civil war. Many officials believe Arafat has been weakened and they are exploiting this to establish bases of power. The battle of succession is already under way, and as things appear, it could be a bloody one."
Behold the mighty Arab Street. Commence appeasement. 
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Posted by Puddle Pirate 2004-03-07 6:44:45 PM||
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